This invention relates to an axle assembly for supporting wheels and, more specifically, to a retaining assembly used to retain a hub assembly and bearing assembly onto a spindle of the axle assembly.
Axle assemblies support wheels on their distal ends, or spindles. Hub assemblies, which carry the wheels, are supported on the spindles by bearing assemblies. Typically, end nuts are fastened to the spindles to secure the bearing and hub assemblies to the spindle. An additional retaining device is usually employed to ensure that the end nut does not come unfastened from the spindle. For example, a split pin may be installed in a hole transverse to the spindle axis and adjacent to the end nut. However, if the hole and pin are not precisely placed relative to the location of the installed end nut, the pin will be difficult to install or will allow the nut to loosen until it contacts the pin. Therefore, what is needed is a retaining device that prevents the end nut from loosening from its originally installed location.